The spirit of Friendship
by pepe ok
Summary: I love Nakoma, so this is her view of the Pocahoontas story. So sorry for not updatine for so long! R&R, please!
1. Chapter 1

Hello once again! This is my second Pocahontas fic. I haven't had a chance 2 read many other Pocahontas fics, so I hope mine doesn't have anything similar to anyone else's. If it does, please include that in your review and I'll take a look. Hope you enjoy it!

**Summary:** This is Nakoma's view of the story. It is told by her.

By: Pepe ok

Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from or associated with Disney's Pocahontas, and I am making no profit from writing this story.

I was in the field picking corn when I heard the familiar sound that signaled the warriors had come back. I gathered my corn and walked to the side of the river with the rest of the women. All except one, of course. Pocahontas, my best friend since childhood was, once again, nowhere to be found. She had run off earlier this morning.

Her father, and our chief, the great Powhatan, was in front of our people, beginning to tell them of what had occurred.

"Chesk-cham-ay!" he called, our formal way of getting attention. "The Massawomecks are defeated! With the help of our brothers, Our villages are safe again." The people cheered and I smiled as I went to the river to bring Pocahontas back. I paddled out into the bay. I almost immediately spotted her on the highest cliff overlooking where I was. It had become one of her favourite places since her mother died two years ago.

"Pocahontas!" I called up to her. "Your father's back! Come down here!" I see her run towards the woods and sigh in relief that she'll use the normal way of getting to the village for once. I was about to paddle back when I saw her leap off the side of the cliff.

"NO! Not that…way." She falls gracefully with her back in a perfect arch, until she hits the surface of the water. I smirk.

"Show off." She doesn't come up after a few seconds. I always worry her free-spirited nature will lead her to get hurt. In another way, I admire how she'll follow her heart and not care what people think. I lean over the edge to see if I can see her below the water.

"Pocahontas? Are you all right? Well, you better be all right, because I'm not coming in after Y-o-uu!" It becomes obvious to me that Pocahontas has once again led me to be the object of one of her silly games. We surface under the overturned canoe.

"Don't you think we're getting a little old for these games?" I ask. In response, she spits water in my face. I laugh and splash her back. She has this way of making me laugh and let my playful side show. When we tire of our game, we prepare to head back to land. When the canoe in overturned, she wrings out her hair.

"What were you doing up there?" I ask.

"Thinking." She answers, flipping her hair over her shoulder.

"About the dream again? Have you figured it out yet?"

"I know it means something, I just don't know what." She has told me that for many nights she has been having s very strange dream about a spinning arrow. She still can't make sense of it and neither can i.

"You should ask your father about it." I suggest. She is lucky enough to have one of the wisest men in the tribe as her father. Since my Mother died giving birth to me and my father soon after, I was raised by my elderly grandparents. While they have been and still are loving and kind, I feel I was almost robbed of the chance to have a real family. I shake the thoughts away.

"Maybe I should." She says. She pulls her little hummingbird friend out of the water. "Come on, Flit. Quit playing around. We have to get back." That makes me smile, for it is usually she who is doing the playing around. We paddle to the mainland as Powhatan is talking about the battle they have endured. Beside him is the best skilled and best looking warrior we have, Kocoum.

"Oh, he is so handsome." I whisper to Pocahontas. She nods.

"I especially love his smile." She says. We cheer as he is marked with the symbol of the bear. The crowd disbands and I walk off to my grandparent's home.

"Wingapo, Nakoma." My Grandmother says to me as I enter. She is in the process of weaving a skirt out of yucca fibers.

"Wingapo." I reply. I grab a small pouch of corn. I take it back outside and begin to grind it with a few other women. I am rather quiet, as I keep thinking about Pocahontas and her dream. Could this dream really be telling her something? Would it only concern her, or our whole tribe? My thoughts lead me back inside to my Grandmother. I put down the rest of the corn.

"Grandmother, have you ever had any strange dreams? Have they ever told you something was coming?" I ask. She puts down her weaving and looks at me.

"The spirits have many ways of communicating with us, Nakoma. One is through dreams. " She sighs and looks down at me. "Yes, I've had a dream like that."

"What did it tell you?"

"I was no more than a young woman at the time. I was around twenty-three. I was about to have my first child, who later became your mother. Now, right around that time a horrible epidemic struck the tribe. Many people died, and hundreds were gravely ill. Many nights your grandfather and I prayed to the Great Spirit that, when our baby was born, she would not suffer from the disease. That night, when I went to sleep, I had a very strange dream. I saw myself in a canoe on the river. Soon, a storm aroused and my canoe capsized, so I was forced to spend the night in the woods among to flowers. I was terrified, for I had never been away from the village alone at night before. I remember I heard the winds whisper "Migina" to me. I didn't know what it meant, but as the moon rays poured down on me, I felt safe. The moon's light was like a shield from all danger. I woke up the next morning, still thinking about my dream. I talked to my husband and asked if he thought it meant anything. He wasn't sure what it meant, so we dismissed it as just another dream. But the next night, I had it again. The same safe moon, the same winds whispering "Migina." The night after that, your mother was born. I held her, and once again I heard that wind whispering to me. The moon was full that night, and once again I was secure and safe. I suddenly understood what my dream was trying to tell me, and I named your mother Migina."

"I don't understand." I said. "What did your dream mean?"

"The moon spirit was protecting me that night in my dream. I named your mother Migina, which means 'recurring moon.' She never got the disease, for I believe the moon spirit came back to protect her. So you see, our dreams can mean a lot more than one might think." I nod.

"Thank you, grandmother. I'll think about that." I say and leave the hut. I never knew about any of that. Perhaps some of the knowledge could help Pocahontas understand her dream, and perhaps point me down my path at the same time.

That's chapter one. Please leave a review. Constructive criticism is welcome. The story will pick up when the action gets started. Chapter 2 up soon. Thanks for reading!


	2. Chapter 2

Hello once again! Thank you too all that reviewed! This chapter and the following ones I will try to make longer. Thanks to SunRise19 for informing me about the separate Pocahontas category. Onward!

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing associated with Disney's Pocahontas.

I have just left my grandmother's house when a man comes running up from the beach. He is speaking so fast I can hardly understand him. He says he and his hunting group were out and saw a patch of very odd looking clouds hovering above a great canoe. It carries many strange men. Powhatan silences him.

"Let our council gather." He calls. The council of our tribe follows him into a longhouse. As the people look at each other tensely, I hover outside the door. I can hear almost everything, though I cannot see inside. A man comments on the pale skin of these men. Another says they have hair on their faces like wild animals. I can hear the fire's crackling from outside.

"My brothers! We must know more about these visitors! Kekata, what do you see?" Powhatan calls. I can hear Kekata chanting, and the fire blazes further.

"These are not men like us. They have bodies that shine like the sun, and weapons that spout fire." Weapons that spout fire? I furrow my brow. How can that be?

"They prowl the earth like ravenous wolves, consuming everything in their path." The people gasp. These men must be dangerous. What are they doing on our land?

"Great Powhatan," I recognize that strong, powerful voice. "Let me lead our warriors to the river and attack. We shall destroy these invaders, the way we destroyed the Massawomecks!" That's his solution to everything. War. The thought of another war takes over me. The children of our tribe will be at risk and so will our finest warriors. Powhatan cuts Kocoum off.

"Kocoum! In that battle we knew how to fight our enemy, but these pale visitors are strange to us. Let us hope they do not intend to stay." He dismisses his council and walks out of the longhouse.

"For now, everyone must stay in the village until Kocoum and his party return."

"Namontack! Ayowamat! Hainkinkee! You will come with me." Kocoum calls. They gather weapons and follow him to the shore. My grandmother and I walk back to her hut. I silently continue pounding the corn that I had left forgotten. Suddenly, a loud sound, louder than the loudest thunder, echoes through the trees. The people run to Powhatan, who tells them to be calm.

"Grandmother, what was that?" I ask. She only shakes her head.

"I don't know. I have never heard it in all my years. Perhaps it is from these strange newcomers." I nod. Suddenly, more of the noise crashes upon us. The children become frightened. Soon, the noise ceases. We are all relieved when we hear cries coming from our warriors who are returning. On Kocoum's shoulder is Namontack, and Ayowamat is telling Chief Powhatan of strange staffs that were fired and one hit Namontack in the leg, causing great pain.

"Kekata, tend to this wound." He says. Namontack is carried into the medicine man's hut. His wife follows him. I don't understand. What was this strange stick that did this to our warrior? It's then I realize that Pocahontas isn't here. She's always in on the action. It excites her. Oh well. It's better for her to be away from the white man, and knowing her she was probably far away, deep in the woods.

Soon after, another woman and myself look in. Kekata is rattling his shell full of herbs. Namontack lies on a bed with his wife at his head, groaning with pain. Chief Powhatan is at his side.

"These beasts invade our shores, and now this." He says.

"This wound is strange to me." Kekata says. I look a little farther and see a deep, red, dent in Namontack's skin. It is unlike anything I have ever seen. How could it have happened? A stick that spouted fire? Powhatan is a very calm man, and he never chooses to fight over peace, but he cannot tolerate it when one of our innocent people is hurt.

"We will fight this enemy, but we cannot do it alone. Kocoum, send messages to every village in our nation. We will call on our brothers to help us fight." I hear him moving, so I step away from the door.

"These white men are dangerous! No one is to go near them!" I stiffen. Another war? This is not what was planned. After the terror the previous war with the Massawomecks, all anyone wanted was to be able to sleep without fear and threat of attack. I sigh and since I'm so deep in thought, I do not notice how the daylight flies.

It's dusk and the drums are sounded to indicate trouble is approaching and all people should be in the village. I see out of the corner of my eye Pocahontas sprinting up to the village. I meet her.

"Where were you today?" I ask her. She faces me. I can see a strange look on her face, a look I've never seen before, that looked almost she was afraid, or confused.

"I was in the woods." She says.

"Well, did you hear the noise?" I ask. "The great canoes? Did you see them?"

"Yes, but I ran back into the woods." She says. I look at her. There is something off about her today. She hasn't looked like this since her mother died.

"Are you feeling okay?" I ask. She nods.

"I'm just exhausted from running through the woods and being on the river all day. Nothing serious. Really. Hey, I'm hungry. I think I'll go eat." She walks toward the baskets of food and begins to eat. I follow her, confused. Oh well. She must be tired. Maybe she feared that the new men would endanger her father. I sit next to Pocahontas by the fire.

"Are you sure you're okay? You seem quiet today." I ask

"I'm just a little confused." she says.

"Why?" She sighs.

"My father wants me to marry Kocoum." Pocahontas says. I gasp

"Kocoum? You should be flattered beyond belief!" I cry. Kocoum has been the heartthrob of about every woman in the tribe at one point or another.

"I know." She says." But I'm not sure if he's the right one for me. He's so serious."

"I guess." I say. That never occurred to me. Life for Pocahontas as Kocoum's wife would definitely be safe, but maybe to her standards, a little boring.

"He would want a traditional wife." She goes on. "That would mean no more canoeing alone down the river, no more runs in the woods."

"I see what you mean." I say. I guess it would be different if Pocahontas was a more traditional woman. I couldn't help but think that there was more to why Pocahontas was feeling down. That couldn't be enough for her to be so quiet. I am about to inquire fi\urther when her father interrupts.

"My people! I wish for all of you to retire to your homes. Let Kocoum and his scouting party stand watch, should anything happen." Powhatan instructs. The people scatter and go into their huts. Then Powhatan comes to Pocahontas.

"Daughter, I'd like you to stay close to the village. These men are dangerous. Do you understand?" He asks.

"Of course, father." Pocahontas says. Her father smiles.

"Good." He says. Pocahontas and I say goodnight and arrange to go and pick corn the next day.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

The moon fades and the sun rises overhead. Pocahontas and I walk out to the cornfield. We have been out for a while when I notice how quiet she has been. Her basket has few cobs in it, while mine is full. I am about to speak to her when her father comes toward us.

"Pocahontas. You should be inside the village." He says to her.

"We'll be all right." She says.

"We're gathering food for when the warriors arrive." I explain, knowing that her father had briefly informed her that warriors were coming, though I'm not sure she knew the details of why.

"Don't go far. Now is not the time to be running off." He gives her a knowing smile.

"Yes, father." Powhatan looks proudly at his daughter.

"When I see you wear that necklace, you look just like your mother." He says. Pocahontas fingers the new shell necklace she wears.

"I miss her." She says. Though it has been many months since her mother's death, I know Pocahontas's heart has been left saddened. So much of her mother shines through Pocahontas. Her spirit, her untamable hair.

"But she is still with us." Powhatan says. "Whenever the wind blows through the trees, I feel her presence. Our people look to her for wisdom and strength. Someday, they will look to you as well." He places a hand on her shoulder.

"I would be honoured by that." Pocahontas says.

"You shouldn't be out here alone. I'll send for Kocoum." Her father says and then disappears through the corn stalks. Pocahontas looks away. Now I know something is wrong. She's just not herself, and usually with something on her mind, if she talks to me she lets it go.

"All right, what is it?" I demand.

"What?"

"You're hiding something."

"I'm not hiding anything!" Why won't she tell me? Doesn't she trust me?

"Pocahontas, you can tell me. I promise I won't tell anyone…" I then see one of the most terrifying sights I have ever witnessed. Our of the cornfield steps a white man with the most peculiar colour of hair and eyes I have ever see. He stands behind Pocahontas, who doesn't notice.

"Pocahontas, look!" I cry in a panic. "It's one of them! I'm going to get-" I can't finish because she claps a hand over my mouth.

"What are you doing here?" she whispers anxiously.

"I had to see you again." He says. _Again?_ She's met him before! That's where she was! In my mind I am terrified, but I can make no sound except groans. Then she looks afraid as we hear Kocoum calling for her. She turns to me, removing her hand.

"Nakoma, please don't say anything." She bags. I am in a state of shock. She takes the strange man's hand. "Quick, this way!" and they run through the field, out of sight.

"But…" Just then Kocoum appears.

"Nakoma, where is Pocahontas?" he asks. _Think fast, Nakoma._

"I..I haven't see her." I cover for my friend. I know that if Kocoum finds out where Pocahontas has gone, he'll send the whole tribe out after her. He sighs, exasperated.

"Pocahontas can't keep running off; it's dangerous out there." He says. "Tell her that. She listens to you." He then turns and walks back to the village. I stare at the corn in my hand.

"Huh. Sure she does."

Thanks for reading! Chapter 3 up soon.


	3. Chapter 3

Hello again! Sooo Sorry for the eternally long time it took me to update. I was really busy lately. Thanks for staying with me!

Disclaimer: I own no part of Disney's Pocahontas.

I wander back to the village, my head spinning. Who was that man? What could happen to Pocahontas? She seemed to trust him. Powhatan said to stay inside the village. One thing about Pocahontas that I've never understood is her inability to obey direct orders. Once when we were kids, she convinced me to sneak out of the village to pick berries and I was terrified we'd be caught the whole time. She wasn't worried at all, probably because she's become de-sensitized to it by now. I am walking into the village when I hear Powhatan conversing with Kocoum.

"Warriors…arrive at sunset." Was all I could make out. I walked slowly back to my grandmother's hut, once again pounding the corn. It then occurred to me that in my daze after seeing Pocahontas run off with that strange man I had forgotten the corn we had picked. I was beginning to pound when another village woman, Meoquanee, came up behind me. Pocahontas and I both knew she had one of those mouths you couldn't keep shut. I was startled, as I was deep in thought.

"Where have you been today?" She asked. She looked at me with narrowed eyes. "What's wrong?" She must have noticed my averted gaze.

"Me? Oh, I'm fine." I laugh nervously, worried that my lips will betray me. "I was in the corn field."

"That's good. The warriors will need strength to fight those beasts off." Meoquanee says scornfully. " I was talking to Ayowamat after the battle at the shore, and he says the men have hair on their faces and strange coloured eyes and hair." I pretend to look surprised.

"Really? What colour?" I ask

"He says one had hair that was red like the soil and eyes like the leaves on a tree." She says. "I haven't seen any myself, but I know they're dangerous from what I have heard". Then she hears her mother calling for her to husk some corn.

"Ah-nah, Nakoma." She calls over her shoulder. I force a smile until she's no longer looking, then sigh of relief. Part of me was screaming to tell her what had happened to Pocahontas, but knowing her, it would be around the tribe before the sun set. Still, just to tell one person would take the burden of my shoulders. No, I know I have to be a good friend and keep it secret. I promised I would, but I can't shake the fear that Pocahontas will be hurt. It occurs to me to talk to my grandmother, but then I think of the guilt I feel for not keeping my word. Besides, she hasn't been hurt, right? So many conflicting emotions.

Such thoughts keep plaguing my mind. I cannot keep my mind on corn, so I walk around the village near the riverbeds, looking at my reflections.

Soon after, I hear a man call.

"Look! The warriors are here!" The warriors? Already? Only a few suns have passed since these men have arrived, and already we are preparing for war? Powhatan greets the newly arrived chief. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Pocahontas running up to the village. As soon as Pocahontas reaches me I speak.

"Pocahontas, are you crazy? What were you doing with one of…" I can't finish as Kocoum interrupts me.

"There you are!" He says to her. Pocahontas seems less than happy to see him. She tenses as soon as he approaches.

"Kocoum!" Kocoum looks admiringly at the arriving canoes.

"Look at them." He says proudly. "Now we have enough men to destroy these white demons!" Powhatan is leading the Chief into a longhouse. Without another word, Pocahontas runs after him. Kocoum and I just stand there, baffled. We exchange a glance of complete confusion.

I cannot hear what she says to Powhatan, but she seems to be pleading with him. She looks dejected after he leaves, and walks off. I was about to follow when I hear my grandmothers' voice.

"Nakoma!" she says, "come help me husk the corn for the warriors." I thought of arguing, but decided arguing with someone like my grandmother was fairly pointless. I reluctantly followed her to her hut, glancing one last time at Pocahontas who was walking by the river with her raccoon. She looked so very upset. I knew it had to do with the new man, for her expression was a new one to me.

I spent husked corn until the sun faded, then stepped outside to enjoy the night air. My grandmother had gone to bed by then, and I would have gone to find Pocahontas, but I had to finish my husking. As I stood there, I noticed a figure run through the edge of the village. I knew instantly that it was Pocahontas, for no other woman in the tribe can run as fast as her. I knew that she must be running off to see the man, for why else would she disobey a direct order from her father, especially now that she knew I knew? I couldn't let my friend do this. These men are out to harm us, and she was putting herself in danger, as well as the people of our tribe. What if this man she knows is only using her to attack our people? No one but me had seen her run off. I knew I could not stand by and watch while my best friend since childhood put herself in jeopardy. I then left my hut and ran to where I saw Pocahontas. She was heading for the cornfield. I called out to her.

"Pocahontas." She turned around, startled to realize that anyone had seen her leave the village.

"Nakoma!" she cried.

"Don't go out there. I lied for you once. Don't ask me to do it again!"

"I have to do this." She says and turns to walk off. I run forward and grab her arm.

"He's one of them!"

"You don't know him!" I step in her way to block her path.

"If you go out there, you'll be turning your back on your own people." I say.

"I'm trying to help my people." She tells me with desperation in her voice. Help us? How can dishonouring our tribe help our people? My expression of anger softens.

"Pocahontas, please. You're my best friend. I don't want you to get hurt." I take her hand, but she gives it back to me and turns again.

"I won't. I know what I'm doing." She says, and before I can protest, she is running through the cornfield.

"Pocahontas, no!" I call. She pays me no heed. I stand there for a moment in the moonlight, playing what happened over and over. I know what I must do to protect my friend. I turn to the village. She has put me in an impossible position. Though I have kept many of her secrets in the past, I know I cannot keep this one. I approach a hut in the middle of the village.

"Kocoum." He turns to me.

"What is it?" I hesitate for a moment.

"It's Pocahontas."

"What's wrong? Is she all right?" Once more, I hesitate.

"I think she's in trouble." _Forgive me, Pocahontas._


	4. Chapter 4

I am soooooooooo sorry about the long time it took me to update. I promise I will eventually finish this story. So, here's the next chapter.

I watched Kocoum pick up his sharpened dagger and run off into the woods. Yes, I did feel a little guilty for sending him after Pocahontas, but what else could I have done? I knew I never could have forgiven myself if something had happened and I could have stopped it. I had covered for Pocahontas many times throughout our friendship, but I just couldn't this time. I was worried about her, but at the same time I was angry. She had put me in an impossible position. I could either betray my friend, or betray my tribe. Maybe she could turn her back on our people, but I couldn't.

I slowly wandered back to my hut. I had just reached the door when I heard a deafening noise coming from the woods. It was like the noise we heard when Namontack was injured by the new men. All the people had heard it, including Chief Powhatan. He immediately called for his warriors who ran into the woods, armed. My grandmother hobbled out of the hut, and she and I exchanged nervous glances.

"Please retreat to your homes!"Powhatan called. People nervously walked back into their homes, mothers picking up their small children, and men picking up their bows to protect their family should the need arise. I was so anxious to know if Pocahontas was alright, I just kept standing and craning my neck to see the forest. My grandmother tugged at my arm.

"Come, Nakoma." she said. "You need to be where it is safe." Reluctantly, I walked into our home, my heart still pounding anxiously. My grandmother decided to try to return to sleep, but I knew my efforts would be futile. I just kept pacing, until I heard the return of the warriors. My grandmother awoke and followed me out of the hut.

I saw the men gathering in front of Powhatan, all sounding distressed. The women were standing back near the doors of their homes. I pulled away from my grandmother and walked to the crowd of warriors. I moved through the crowd so I could see what was going on. My heart sopped dead in my chest when I saw a warrior come forward carrying a body. It was Kocoum's. I heard wails from some villagers, as Powhatan saw his finest warrior fallen.

"Who did this?" he called out, and more warriors appeared. They were dragging with them the white man. The one who Pocahontas had disappeared with earlier.

"Pocahontas was out in the woods. Kocoum went to find her and this white man attacked him." said one of the warriors. It was somewhat hard to believe that this man who Pocahontas had befriended could have murdered Kocoum. But the white man had been known to be dangerous.

Powhatan looked down at the man. He pressed his spear to his throat. I had never seen Powhatan so angry.

"Your weapons are strong." he said. "But now our anger is stronger. At sunrise, he will be the first to die!" Some of our warriors cheered. But then I saw Pocahontas. She had just ran up from the woods."

"But father-" she pleaded. Powhatan cut her off.

"I told you to stay in the village. You disobeyed me! You have shamed your father." he yelled.

"I was only trying to help." She said. Powhatan had never scolded her this way before.

"Because of your foolishness, Kocoum is dead!" I winced. "Take him away!" Powhatan commanded. With that, the villagers and warriors, lead by Powhatan, took the man into the center of the village, leaving Pocahontas behind. I saw her standing here, and then she sank to her knees.

I didn't know what to say. I felt so guilty. _I_ told Kocoum she had left. _I_ had sent Kocoum to his death. I just stood in front of Pocahontas until she raised her head.

"Kocoum was just coming to protect me." she said. I couldn't stand to see her this way.

"Pocahontas, I sent Kocoum after you." I said. She looked up at me. I didn't know what the emotion on her face was. Anger? Confusion?

"I was worried about you." I crumpled to my knees next to her. "I thought I as doing the right thing." Her expression softened.

"All his happened because of me." she said. So she didn't blame me. She blamed herself. "and now I'll never see John Smith again." John Smith. Just the way she said his name told me so much. She was sneaking off to see this man because she was in love with him. I had let her down once. I knew I wouldn't do it again. Then it occurred to me that I could possibly help her see John Smith again. I took her hand.

"Come with me."

**XXX**

I led her to the middle of the village where I knew they would keep John Smith until sunrise. Of course, to see him, I would have to phrase my request in the right way.

"Pocahontas wants to look into the eyes of the man who killed Kocoum." I think the guards knew that Pocahontas was betrothed to Kocoum, so they let her in.

"Be quick." they said and drew back the curtain. I waited at the entrance. From what I could see before the drape fell back was the man who was bound to the center pole and Pocahontas kneeling down beside him. I stood, waiting. I couldn't hear very much, but the way they spoke was so sad, so loving. The guards were becoming impatient.

"Pocahontas?" I called softly. She caressed his face one last time and he kissed her palm before she retreated out of the hut. She walked by me without a word.

"I'm sorry." I called after her. She turned and took my hand. She smiled sadly but gratefully, then turned away again. She then headed to the shore and I saw her get into a canoe and paddle into the river, the moon reflecting off the water.

"I'm sorry." I whispered again.


End file.
